Morocco can lead Africa's agricultural revolution
The greenhouse effect and climate change are dealing major blows worldwide. Agriculture is one of the sectors that is suffering the most from global warming, as much of the land is no longer suitable for cultivation and the temperature is severely affecting crops, leaving many of them unviable for development. Africa is one of the most hopeful continents for planting seeds, but these problems are jeopardising the security of a sustainable future. "Climate change is becoming an existential threat. It is therefore the responsibility of each country to find its own solutions to deal with this problem," says scientist Fassil Kebede.
Morocco is grappling with this problem, and several experts and scientists are exploring new ways of developing agriculture in search of a solution to the drawbacks. Many universities and centres on the continent are turning to the commitment to save the world's citizens. One of them is the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, which is pioneering new agricultural innovations, and experts predict that the Alawi country could solve the conflict and also enable Africa to become the most developed continent in the world in the field of agriculture.
Hicham el Habti, secretary general of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, gave an interview to the daily "euronews.next" in which he spoke of the progress of his centre in this sector. "The ambition of this university is to create a framework where young Africans can assimilate the concepts and notions of technology and adapt them to the reality on the ground. Technology is global, but innovation is local. We want to provide a space for these young people to take charge of Africa's development," said the secretary.
In the fight against pollution and the food problem, the university has an experimental farm, specialising in smart agriculture, which uses technology in favour of data processing to bring about improvements in the way crops are grown.
The main objective of this stay is to learn how plant productivity is affected in soils degraded by climate change, as well as to deal with the loss of biodiversity where crops are grown and the diseases caused by this problem.
The centre has big plans for the future and plans to become the new Silicon Valley of Africa. "In the next few years, young people will represent the majority of Africa's population and for me this farm is an extraordinary lever and the best opportunity the continent has," says Habti.
Scientists working on the plantation are also experimenting with crops that grow on drier land, such as moringa and quinoa, which are well adapted to this system. "One of the means is to screen for cereals, or crops that can do very well in the face of climate change. Quinoa is one such plant," says Kebede.
In the case of quinoa, the university has also tested planting it in Rehamna province, where the soil is often of poor quality for the crop. Anas Zeroual, an agricultural technician at the university centre, explains that "in this region, droughts can be significant and quinoa here can only be irrigated twice, which is why we chose to grow it here. We have carried out two very conclusive trials with good results, so next year we are going to extend the crop to the whole region".
The farm is partly funded by Aerodrive Engineering Services, which helps by carrying out consultations and uses drones that detect insect pests or problems with plant nutrients as the plants grow. "These techniques have been proven effective in several countries, and in my opinion it is only a matter of time before such methods become essential to remain internationally competitive," says Soufiane Amaldi, the firm's managing director.
